Looking at the little toddler, I suddenly realized that technically speaking I was his cousin. This meant that the two of us were from the same generation. But now, he was actually calling me his aunt.Danny was a true social butterfly. He looked up at Yasmin with a sweet face and called out, "Aunt!""Ah."Yasmin responded with a smile, patting his head. After Danny went off to the toy room, she said to Alana, "Even though the child has the surname Jackson, he looks very much like you, and his personality is much more likable."The implication was that Alex, or the Jackson family, was less so.Alana was not at all embarrassed. Instead, she seemed to find a kindred spirit in Yasmin and naturally became affectionate, "Yasmin, great minds think alike! Alex's personality is like an artifact just unearthed from the medieval times. I can't even imagine what would happen if Danny inherited his personality!"Yasmin chuckled, evidently understanding the situation with the Jackson family,
"Not at all."Yasmin smiled gently and took my hand. "I’m not here to discuss the dress either.""Then what is it?" asked Alana."Ask Charlotte." Yasmin glanced at the time, stood up, and explained to me, "Charlotte, I have a dinner appointment with the brand representatives. Do you want to come along?""I... I’ll pass."Originally, when she was connecting me with people, I always dealt with it in a way that considered social etiquette. Now suddenly, she became my... mother, and I was still trying to get used to it.She didn’t insist, but tentatively asked, "How about tomorrow’s celebration dinner? I’ll have Joanne come pick you up and take you to the Cloud. Is that okay?"Joanne was the person she trusted the most.With Joanne picking me up and taking me to the celebration dinner in the Cloud, it meant she wants to publicly acknowledge my background and was seeking my consent.I pursed my lips and nodded. "Okay."After seeing her to the elevator, as we were parting ways, I a
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.I wasn’t sure what Frank said, but Alana suddenly made a tough statement. "Who’s drunk? Fine, you’ll come begging me for help someday!"With that, she hung up the phone, then looked at me with a smile and said, "Charlotte, can you do a favor for your future aunt?"Being an elder seemed to come naturally to her.I cocked my brows. "Future aunt? Are you really considering remarrying Alex just to move up a generation?""That's worth considering." Alana winked at me. "So, can you do me a favor?""What is the favor?""Don’t tell Frank about your relationship with Yasmin.""Huh?""I haven’t seen Frank get embarrassed before."Alana looked quite eager.I chuckled. "So that’s the favor?"Alana nodded. "Yes, will you do it or not?""I will," I agreed. Alana is probably the closest to Frank among the younger generation in the Smith family, aside from Megan. I also want to maintain a good relationship with her. Plus, my background will be public
The producer shuddered and quickly replied a message on WhatsApp. “Joanne, I may not have expressed myself clearly earlier. What I meant was that we will ensure Miss Christine’s segments are edited beautifully, matching her online persona 100%.”“Did I not express myself clearly? Brian, what we mean is, edit it however it looks best! If the market response is good, Ms. Jackson will consider funding the next season. Do you understand?”The producer, being quite shrewd, finally understood. “Got it! I’ll do as you say!”It seemed that Christine had managed to offend her own mother!But he had some doubts in his mind. Would a biological mother really allow the show’s crew to expose her daughter’s negative material?How much conflict could there be?It seemed that the saying "blood is thicker than water" did not apply in the upper class.However, this was none of his concern. His job was to hold onto Yasmin’s coattails tightly!He could edit it however it looks best!He smiled, con
“Alright, I’ll go now.”Seeing her growing anger, the assistant quickly took the opportunity to leave.The phone rang.Christine glanced at the caller ID and said calmly, “Hello, Mr. Renolds, what’s the matter?”Recently, Yasmin had not taken any further action, so she probably had set aside her suspicions.Meanwhile, Christine’s resources kept coming, and she had done several magazine shoots, with people constantly flattering her every day. Without realizing it, her attitude had become somewhat complacent, and even Jack was not taken seriously by her.Jack, holding a photo handed to him by his subordinate, said in a cold voice, “Has anyone entered your room recently?”“No,” Christine responded truthfully. “I have surveillance installed, and my phone hasn’t received any abnormal alerts.”“Are you sure?”“Absolutely sure!” Christine was somewhat helpless. “Mr. Renolds, don’t be so paranoid. If something had really happened, could I still be here recording the show?”It had bee
The next day, when I woke up, the alarm hadn't gone off yet.As soon as I stepped out of my room, the doorbell rang. It was Jane.I felt a bit helpless. “Don’t you have a fingerprint access? Why didn’t you just come in?”“Well, that’s because…”Jane cast an ambiguous glance toward the master bedroom and said, “I was afraid of disturbing you and your man.”“Disturb what? He’s not here,” I explained. Then I asked, “Why did you come so early?”Last night, Frank didn’t return to Region Gardens; he just sent me a WhatsApp message saying that there was an urgent matter with the Smith family that needed his immediate attention. He didn’t tell me any specifics.Jane then remembered the main issue and hurriedly asked, “Was the WhatsApp message you sent me real or not?”“I drank too much last night. When I groggily checked my phone this morning, it startled me awake!”“On my way here, I kept looking at that WhatsApp message, afraid I was dreaming or seeing things.”“Is Christine really
Jane shook her head and quickly declined, “I won’t be going.”I looked at her, thinking she was just being shy, “Why? Jane, come with me…”“One of the most important moments for my best friend, I wouldn’t miss it.” Jane flashed a mysterious smile and said. “But I have other plans.”Suddenly, I had a thought and guessed, “You want to go with Mr. Collins, right?”The Chi family is also a prominent family in Jeswood, and Zachary would certainly receive an invitation.Jane avoided answering, quickly pushing me out the door, “Stop hesitating. Go and see Ms. Jackson!”On the way to the Cloud, I saw that the WhatsApp conversation with Frank was still on last night’s messages. I couldn’t help but send him a message."Have you had breakfast? How is the situation?"There was no reply.As I was about to call him out of concern, a news alert popped up.The Smith Group’s M398 chip, which was patented two months ago, was facing a lawsuit from the patent-holding company, demanding an immedi
“Let me check.”He seemed to be looking at WhatsApp while explaining to me. “I was in a long meeting, and my phone was with Alan. He only brought it into the meeting room when he saw your call.”“Fortune and misfortune are intertwined. Don’t be afraid.”Although he was trying to comfort me, I was still worried. “This is targeted at you, right? Did Lucas do this?”“You’re right about the first part.”Frank took a sip of something, and his voice regained some clarity. “But Lucas isn’t stupid enough to do this. He would only engage in actions that harm others without benefiting himself, not something that would damage the enemy while hurting himself.”Frank’s explanation made sense. The chip had been on the market before he returned to the Smith Group, and before that, Lucas had been in charge. Ultimately, this issue falls under Lucas’s responsibility.If Lucas exposed this now, it would certainly create a huge mess for Frank, but it would also eliminate any possibility of Frank ma
Zachary had already planned for today.He didn’t take Westley’s words to heart.He assumed Frank would explain things to Charlotte.Who knew Charlotte actually accompanied Jordan to Nelana?“It’s not that, it’s just a coincidence.”Jane chatted with Charlotte and asked about Jordan’s situation.Charlotte said, “Westley didn’t show up, so the young girl is very angry right now. I’m taking her to get some photos taken.”“Then after you’re done, come back. How can I celebrate without you here?”Nelana and Jeswood weren’t far from each other. Charlotte checked the time and agreed.“If you’re hungry, just eat something first. Don’t keep waiting. Once I’m on the plane, I’ll let you know. You can roughly estimate the timing.”“Alright!”Jane hung up the phone and looped her arm around Zachary’s. “I want to eat a strawberry cake.”Zachary helped her into the car and instructed Ross to drive to a cake shop.He got out of the car himself to buy it.As Jane ate, she asked, “So if We
“I don’t care! I must go back and put on some makeup!” Jane declared.Ross, who would rather face Zachary’s wrath than make Jane unhappy, immediately prepared to turn the car around.But Zachary stopped him. “Keep driving.”He gently patted Jane’s back to calm her down.“I know you’re excited about getting the certificate, but don’t get so worked up—think about the baby.”Was that what he thought this was about?Jane grabbed Zachary’s ear. “Are you getting old and becoming deaf? I said turn the car around! If you keep pretending not to hear me, don’t even think about me taking a photo with you to get the certificate when we get there!”In the end, Zachary had no choice but to compromise.Jane hadn’t done her makeup in a while. With the sudden pregnancy, she hadn’t had the time to prepare maternity-safe cosmetics.So they went to the mall, where she bought what she needed and applied a full, flawless makeup look.Feeling beautiful and confident, she finally went to the Civil A
Jordan planned to return to Nelana right after breakfast.Yasmin tried to persuade her to stay a few more days.But she was eager to return and finalize her divorce.Charlotte decided to accompany her since she hadn’t had the chance to visit Dominic and look at the finished products after Jane’s recent accident.Frank wanted to tag along, but Charlotte stopped him. “You stay here and handle things.”Frank sneered. “You’re just tired of me and keep coming up with reasons to stay apart.”Charlotte had been hearing this from him a lot lately and was immune to it by now.She patted his shoulder, linked arms with Jordan, and walked away.Frank was rendered speechless‘Fine.’Westley had never drunk so much alcohol before.Although he wasn’t completely wasted, there were still some things he remembered clearly.However, his headache was intense.Buck brought him some water, asked about his schedule, and reported on the events of the night before.Westley paused while drinking t
She could say nothing more.Moreover, even if she said something, it would be useless.Zachary achieved his goal and turned to leave.After the door to the ward closed, Rebecca picked up a piece of yellowing apple to eat.The old lady of the Collins family sighed, “We didn’t raise him in vain.”Rebecca wiped away tears, she still couldn’t bring herself to like Jane.But Zachary was her only son. At this point, there was nothing she could do to stop him.She could only look the other way and let it go.She said to Eric, “Jeswood is too cold. Take me to Clisfield. This is what you’ve promised me.”Spring had already arrived in Jeswood, it wasn’t cold at all.But Eric still immediately arranged for tickets to be booked.There were still several months before Zachary and Jane’s wedding.In the meantime, she could relax and gradually come to terms with things as time passed.Eric looked at the elderly couple. “Mom, Dad, come with us. The weather there is warm year-round.”Zach
If this were Jane, just a single cough would send him into a panic.Rebecca felt that Zachary now cared more about Jane than her.“Even if Jasper isn’t her biological father, how can you be so sure her real parents are good people? What if...”Zachary finished slicing the apple into small pieces, placed them on a plate, and handed it to his mother.His tone was unhurried. “I can accept anything. As I said before—I will marry no one but her.”Rebecca didn’t take the plate, so Zachary set it aside.The apple, left untouched, began to oxidize and turn brown.Zachary lightly tapped the apple with the fruit knife and said, “There are more than one path in front of me.”Rebecca opened her mouth to speak, but Zachary interrupted her.He pulled out a photo and handed it to her.“The Collins family doesn’t only have me for the official route. There is a sister who can take my place.”Rebecca was stunned. “What sister?”Zachary produced a document. “A recently acknowledged goddaughte
“I forgive you, I forgive you.” Jane ruffled his hair. “Such juicy gossip is worth forgiving. But I’m warning you, don’t try to trick me again next time.”Zachary raised his hand. “I promise.”Jane was satisfied. She ate her fill, felt sleepy, and went to bed.Zachary tucked her in carefully and planted a kiss on her forehead.“I’m heading to the hospital.”“Okay.”At midnight, Raymond released the results of the paternity test.Originally, not many people were paying attention to Jasper’s situation anymore.After all, so much happens every day, and with Zachary’s maneuvering, the buzz had already died down.But as soon as the paternity test result was revealed, it caused an uproar.“I knew it. With the way he was behaving, how could the child be his? And yet, he dared to make such a fuss.”“All those people defending Jasper should apologize!”“Unbelievable. This scum is still alive and even dared to go online to play the victim. If I ever see him, I’ll make sure to give hi
Jane felt that Zachary had too many tricks up his sleeve.Moreover, she felt that it was better not to fully trust men.There was no such thing as absolute honesty.Even she couldn’t achieve that herself.Jane leaned back against the sofa, looking into his eyes.Her stare made Zachary feel a chill down his spine. He cleared his throat and asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”Jane gave a sarcastic smile.Zachary was rendered speechless.He tactically glanced at his watch and asked, “Are you sleepy?”“Nope.”“Hungry?”“Nope.”Jane raised her hand and patted his face. “Playing tricks on me?”This feeling was like looking at himself.For a moment, Zachary didn’t know how to react.The corners of his lips twitched slightly as he said, “I’m just trying to discuss things with you.”“Oh, okay.” Jane nodded. “I believe you.”He realized he was wrong—he shouldn’t have tried to help Westley.Zachary hugged her, trying to appease her. “He deserves it. From now on, I won’
Jane found it both infuriating and funny. “Well, he deserved it.”Zachary agreed with her and said, “Westley did try to distance himself from her, but during the years from her university to her career, he kept an eye on her the entire time.Especially because Jordan never dated anyone, he kept wondering whether she truly liked him as a person or if it was because he hadn’t acted cold enough.”“The dramatic part is that when Jordan turned 20, Sir Howard fell gravely ill and insisted that they get married. Back then, Westley saw the excitement and joy in Jordan’s eyes. So, he drafted an agreement that stated they would divorce after Sir Howard passed away. After they registered their marriage, he went to work in another city and didn’t return to the Howard family for three years.”Jane clicked her tongue several times. “His grandfather was gravely ill, and he didn’t even go to see him?”“There were people reporting the situation to him. His grandfather’s illness was a foregone conc
Zachary curved his lips into a faint smile. “You’re so nosy. Why didn’t you become a journalist? Going into fashion seems like such a waste of talent. Maybe you could have got rid of a lot of scumbags.”Jane slapped him lightly. “That’s not what I want to hear.”Zachary honestly didn’t know much about Tanner’s situation.He wasn’t particularly close to the Greyson family—Westley probably knew more of the details than he did.“All I know is that things didn’t end on a good note. For the specifics, you’d have to ask Westley.”Jane stared at him intently, her gaze unwavering.Her stare finally made Zachary a bit uncomfortable.“What?”Jane crossed her arms, narrowed her eyes, and said, “Are you thinking I’ll go ask Westley? That way, he can use this as leverage to make me help him with Jordan?”Zachary massage his temples. “You do know me pretty well.”Jane lifted her chin proudly. “Of course.”Zachary reached out and hooked her chin lightly with his finger. “It’s not about mak